CNN gets MMO financial reporting wrong

[...]

Originally Posted by Havelock

Is there any substance to the thing behind all the hype, profiteering, and corporate shilling?

The game isn't perfect. but it's possible to do almost anything you want in it. I've been playing a little while (mostly for the fun of building) and it's interesting and pretty neat. I certainly don't claim to be a standard FoH board goer (as i hate raiding) but i've enjoyed it. There are quite a few very impressive places i've been, and the economy is very interesting and real (just started a business to finance my land). I've always loved economy in games, but hated farming. so it's worked out pretty well for me.

the game contains quite a few subcultures, creepy folks, and bored housewives (like half of my friends in it are bored housewives...spend a good deal of their time stripping and whoring consequently). Its a game that allows for furries, goreans, and pedophiles to go off in their own corners and do their thing. But the game is intended to mirror life i suppose, and they have it right with reguard to the quantity of weirdos running around.

Its THE ultimate sandbox. you could go in and literaly make yoruself whatever you want and literaly build whatever you want. I can't comment on the combat sims as i think it's kind of silly (ie i can go play a real combat game if i want combat).I've seen alot of neat archetecture, character design, and art. as well as more than a few "lol internet!" moments where i shake my head and wonder.

Overall I like it, not a bad deal for free (tough i pay RL money for land. and before anyone goes bitching about spending RL monie for land. I make a proffit in RL money selling thigns to other players), and a great sandbox. I was going to keep shut up about it, but i see questions and finaly gave in to the urge to comment.

-...

[Tolanin]

i dont understand why you wouldnt just play realife if you wanted to have a business and make real money and shit =/.. i guess cause you cant be a fox person in real life?

[Merauk]

Originally Posted by ...

Its THE ultimate sandbox. you could go in and literaly make yoruself whatever you want and literaly build whatever you want.

Can I make myself into John Rambo and run around with a M-60 fragging furries and setting their dens (houses) on fire? If so this could be the best game ever.

[James]

Yeah, how is griefing handled in that game? What if I want to just log on and wreck shit?

[Aulirophile]

The article says there isn't any prohibition against selling in-game cash for RL items, so it's not a black market. What is the market like for selling in-game cash? I mean, could this chick really unload all her funds for a million real-life dollars?

I've always been really good at the buy/sell/trade in MMOs to make money. When I was playing WoW in the first ~6 months I had more gold then my guild's bank. Might have to check out Second Life as a second income.

[frott]

Why do people keep referring to Second Life as a game?

It is no more (or less) of a game than First Life is...


...being good at buying/reselling, developing items, developing land and doing it with a profit margin and a burn rate is identical to what we do I R L.

If we're really talking about profiteering, production is still not the most direct path between capital and investment: I'll play the "game" called stock market before I virtualize labor.

[Valorale]

Originally Posted by Tolanin

i dont understand why you wouldnt just play realife if you wanted to have a business and make real money and shit =/.. i guess cause you cant be a fox person in real life?

Exactly what I am wondering ... if you have the drive to assemble that sort of cash ingame to transfer to RL currency .. then why not apply the same dedication to doing with with RL real estate?

[Draegan]

Because sometimes in RL you have these things called lawyers, certifications, zoning laws, labor laws. You need licenses, and real estate agents etc etc. In 2nd Life all you need is a computer and chair to sit down in.

Atleast I'm guessing since I never played the game. Plus I'm assuming startup capital is easier to come by in an online game.

[...]

Originally Posted by Tolanin

i dont understand why you wouldnt just play realife if you wanted to have a business and make real money and shit =/.. i guess cause you cant be a fox person in real life?

realy I personaly find it entertaining to build things. like a 3d sketchpad. likewise scripting objects to work is also fun. I'm sure i could just load up a 3d program and make things to my hearts content, but its more entertaining to show people and then once an object or script is done, i can just put it up for sale and go build something else for entertainment. i'm certainly not playing for the business, the business is just a convenient side effect of being entertained by making things. and again, i enjoy game economies. In eq i would spend hours in NFP trading things in a circle.

Originally Posted by Merauk

Can I make myself into John Rambo and run around with a M-60 fragging furries and setting their dens (houses) on fire? If so this could be the best game ever.

you can do exactly that, but eventualy they would ban you from their land. However there's thousands upon thousands of them and i'm sure you could M-60 furries for days upon days before being banned from the game (then you can make another free account).

Originally Posted by James

Yeah, how is griefing handled in that game? What if I want to just log on and wreck shit?

it's pretty easy to do. the best defense (for the avg player) is to make your land less of a target (so that the greifers go do their thing on easier targets). you can literaly go make a free account right now, go make fun of some furries, maybe even learn the game so that you can devise new and interesting ways to harass furries. the worse that happens is an account is banned and you can make another. not sure if they do IP bans.

generaly speaking a land owner is responsible for taking care of greifing on their land.

Originally Posted by Aulirophile

The article says there isn't any prohibition against selling in-game cash for RL items, so it's not a black market. What is the market like for selling in-game cash? I mean, could this chick really unload all her funds for a million real-life dollars?

her 'million' is not in pure liquid L$, alot of it is in held lands and business. for however much she does have (i'd assume in the hundres of thousands of $$ worth) she could go to the websight, hit sell, and it would credit her account with that much. she then chooses when they send her the check or deposit it in her paypal. as a side effect i think she would rape the economy for a week, the cost of L$ would go way down and folks would cash in. it would be nuts. the cost of L$ goes up and down based on demand. I personaly don't get cash sent to me, i just keep it on my account to pay for my monthly fee.

I've always been really good at the buy/sell/trade in MMOs to make money. When I was playing WoW in the first ~6 months I had more gold then my guild's bank. Might have to check out Second Life as a second income.

keep in mind though that you have to make something people want (or a good con artist scheem or something). it's not like wow where you can farm up yard trash and sell it for gold to start, and many things you cannot resell (nor is there a bulk resell outlet liek the auction house). the economy is very harsh and people only buy what they want, so understanding the market is pretty important. land is easy though, just buy low sell high

Originally Posted by Valorale

Exactly what I am wondering ... if you have the drive to assemble that sort of cash ingame to transfer to RL currency .. then why not apply the same dedication to doing with with RL real estate?

I can't speak for everyone, but i just like to build things, and selling is a bonus side effect.

[Itzena]

Originally Posted by frott

Why do people keep referring to Second Life as a game?

It is no more (or less) of a game than First Life is...

It's a MUSH with a (godawful) 3d engine.

[Rorek]

Originally Posted by ...

The game isn't perfect. but it's possible to do almost anything you want in it. I've been playing a little while (mostly for the fun of building) and it's interesting and pretty neat. I certainly don't claim to be a standard FoH board goer (as i hate raiding) but i've enjoyed it. There are quite a few very impressive places i've been, and the economy is very interesting and real (just started a business to finance my land). I've always loved economy in games, but hated farming. so it's worked out pretty well for me.

the game contains quite a few subcultures, creepy folks, and bored housewives (like half of my friends in it are bored housewives...spend a good deal of their time stripping and whoring consequently). Its a game that allows for furries, goreans, and pedophiles to go off in their own corners and do their thing. But the game is intended to mirror life i suppose, and they have it right with reguard to the quantity of weirdos running around.

Its THE ultimate sandbox. you could go in and literaly make yoruself whatever you want and literaly build whatever you want. I can't comment on the combat sims as i think it's kind of silly (ie i can go play a real combat game if i want combat).I've seen alot of neat archetecture, character design, and art. as well as more than a few "lol internet!" moments where i shake my head and wonder.

Overall I like it, not a bad deal for free (tough i pay RL money for land. and before anyone goes bitching about spending RL monie for land. I make a proffit in RL money selling thigns to other players), and a great sandbox. I was going to keep shut up about it, but i see questions and finaly gave in to the urge to comment.

-...

What I'm not quite understanding is how, someone like yourself, ends up on a board such as this. Hates raiding? Loves Second Life? It just doesn't equate.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an attempt to draw blood, I'm just a little baffled is all.

[...]

Originally Posted by Rorek

What I'm not quite understanding is how, someone like yourself, ends up on a board such as this. Hates raiding? Loves Second Life? It just doesn't equate.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an attempt to draw blood, I'm just a little baffled is all.

well it's certainly not the first, or only MMO i play. I arrived here because when i played EQ furor's shenanigans were excelent reading. I love mmo's and game mechanics and alot of game mechanic/balance discussions take place here in an often brutal maner that is pleasing to read.

I love groups, healers, dpsers, loot etc, i just hate the logistical circus, drama, and lack of personal input inherant in a 40 person raid (as compared to say a 5 person group). Consequently that's why i stopped playing WoW and just pretty much do SL and GW (and whatever RTS/whatever i play offline). I know its hard for alot of WoW players to fathom: some one who enjoys mmo's (and WoW) but hates raiding, but that's me!

(edit: forgot drama)

[xmod2]

Originally Posted by Itzena

It's a MUSH with a (godawful) 3d engine.

And furries and pedos.

I think the reason most people on there prefer working in Second Life to working in real life is that you don't often get the chance to jerk off all over yourself while looking at a female fox shitting out of a dick in a real estate office.

[tad10]

I have no fucking idea what second life is -- but from these posts its beginning to sound like a 3D myspace -- in which case big thumbs up to whoever developed it. I'm sure timewarner or fox or viacom or google or microsoft or yahoo will buy you guys out for some ungodly amount. Gratz!

[Daerath]

What I don't understand is why you would buy land? Why are people spending thousands of dollars for property in Second Life? So you can build a virtual house?

Second Life is no VR world ala Snow Crash. If the majority of the population of this planet was dialed in and you could actually be productive in that environment then I would understand, but you can't, so I don't.